Day 9

EAP definitely treats UC students like royalty. We get class counseling and best of all, free field trips. Today, we went to Hanok Village, which has a bunch of traditional houses. We got to wear traditional looking outfits and play tradition instruments. I got to play the changgo, which is a type of drum. It was quite fun, but exhausting when the guy made us go faster.

After that, we explored Hanok Village a little more, found a time capsule that wouldn't be opened until 2394 I think, and then went off to eat dinner. The meal was quite expensive, but since EAP pays for everything, I loved it. We sat down on the floor with pillows and ate really delicious bulgogi. Walking around town was pretty fun too. I saw the only Starbucks Coffee in the entire world that was written in a different language. I felt so triumphant, even though I walked past it 10 minutes before I found it.

Java Chip Frappuccino 주세요!

Finally, we went to the N Seoul Tower, on top of Namsan Mountain. It's a tall observation tower that overlooks the entire city of Seoul.

The view was quite a sight. It went around a full 360°. The weather was perfect too. No rain, no snow, no fog.

Twin Peaks who?

I also went to the Teddy Bear Museum. It was just a bunch of Teddy Bears dressed up like ancient Koreans. My mom would die in that place. She would need all of them for her collection at home.

Awww.

The city lights of Seoul were so amazing. The city is enormous. I definitely want to come back by the end of the year. To get back down the mountain, we rode a cable car.

Sidenote 1: I went to a Hello Kitty Cafe. Everything, down to the toilet, has Hello Kitty on it.

Meow.

Sidenote 2: I had a drink called "Orgasim" the other night. Sadly, it tasted far from orgasimic. Sadness.

Day 5

Don't walk. Walk faster.

I swear, all I've been doing in Korea is walk. It's incredible exercise. I kept wondering how Koreans can live long if they drink, smoke and eat beef all the time. But now I understand. They get so much exercise from walking everywhere.

And they walk so fast too. I rode the subway for the first time today. Once I got off at a stop, I look back and there's a Korean stampede coming my way. I had to walk so fast just so I wouldn't run into them. It's funny how they get on escalators too. If you want to stand, you have to stay on the right side. If you need to walk up the escalator, you're on the left side. Why can't Americans understand this concept??

Anyway, today I went a ₩7,900 KBBQ buffet. The lady who served us tried to speak to us in Korean, but nobody knew what she was saying. Apparently she felt most comfortable with me because I look the most Asian. She took my hand and brought me over to all the food and tried to explain to me everything. I liked her though! She was so nice to us. The fact that the total cost was less than $7 makes me feel like I get ripped off in Ktown or Cerittos. Especially when the service is less than impressive.

In other news, I got a volunteer job at Ewha Institute of Childhood Education. I get to interact with 3-5 year old Korean kids. I can teach them English, read them stories, play soccer with them, etc. It's once a week, every Wednesday and I'm extremely excited for it.

Day 2

"Haha. I cockfaced you."

It was just too funny!

That's all for now.

Day 1

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Korea! The only place where it's socially acceptable to get completely wasted. We hope you enjoyed your flight. Have a nice day!

Well, here I am. And after arriving at 4:20am, I had to sit around for about 3 more hours to wait for some friends and a taxi cab to pick us up. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, the humidity hit me and I was whining within seconds. (how typical :))

Anyway, here are some pictures of my dorm room.

It actually wasn't that clean when I walked in. Since we checked in when they opened, not all of the rooms were clean. My room was full of trash, flosspicks, hair and underwear. It was so disgusting, but the cleaning lady did come and fix everything. :) My view isn't as good as expected. I wish it was something more pretty, like an entire forest or something. All the rooms in here also have a phone, where we can call each other!

There are so many rules in this dorm. You have to separate trash and recyclables properly. You can't come home too drunk. The one thing that I don't like is that I'm not allowed to enter the female floors. If I do, I risk expulsion or something. I think it's quite unfair for the gays, but I'll have to deal.

Day 0/0: Korean Air Interlude

Welcome to Korean Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelt was we get ready for takeoff.

"Huh? Wait! I'm not ready yet!!"

Any carry-on items must be stowed in the overhead compartment or underneath the seat in front of you.

"No! Stop the plane! I can't leave yet. I barely had two days at home. I need some more time. Please!"

Sir, please take your seat.

"I don't even know what you're saying. I can't understand... T_T"

Like it or not, I'm already gone. As long as this flight has been, I actually feel like it's shorter than my flights to and from Boston. Probably because I have a screen in front of me, or that I actually fell asleep for about 7 hours.

Getting from SJC to LAX was odd because I had to take a tiny American Eagle jet, hop on a bus to the main terminal and walk my way to the International terminal. I felt like I was in Asia already. Now I'm on the biggest plane I've ever been on, without about 2 hours left.

The sky waitresses here are so nice and cute. The meals were also quite good. One of them was green tea jook! My blanket did have a little too much static, but overall, I'm very satisfied with this flight.

Day -1

Tomorrow is the day that I leave for Seoul.

Am I ready? How in the world can I be ready when I just shoved donuts in my mouth? I get back from a week-long adventure, only to be rushed onto another adventure. It's hectic, but that's the kind of thing I enjoy. Just not having a full day to recover takes its toll. The good news is though, all my clothes are neatly folded courtesy of Judy.

All I can hope for at this point is that I knock out cold for 12 hours while Korean Air carries me through the skies.

Day -14

How to Make a Student Visa Sandwich

Step 1. Gather all of your requirements at home and set off for the Korean Consulate.

Step 2. Get out of the car and walk from the parking lot to the building.

Step 3. Realize that you are missing your passport.

Step 4. Panic while looking for your passport on the street and underneath cars.

Step 5. Look through the rest of your papers, see the photocopied version of passport and realize that it's in the scanner at home.

Step 6. Drive home, retrieve passport and go back to the Korean Consulate.

Step 7. Hand in all the requirements to the lady at the Visa desk, only to have your picture rejected because it's not on photo paper.

Step 8. Call brother and tell him to print out a picture at home.

Step 9. Drive home and find that your brother is still sleeping. Proceed to make a copy on your own.

Step 10. Set off for the Korean Consulate again.

Step 11. Hand in all the requirements to the lady at the Visa desk again, only for her to tell you that personal checks are not accepted.

Step 12. Go to the nearby Wells Fargo and withdrawal cash.

Step 13. Hand in $45 to the lady.

Step 14. Go back on Monday and get your student visa.

Step 15. Enjoy!